BOOK REVIEWS, MATH TIPS, AND HOBBIES TO DISCOVER

Hobbies: Why You Should Consider Running For Fun

This post was written by a very talented friend of mine, Blaire Banfield. In addition to being a Harvard student and acclaimed co-writer of the parody song “If Frog Dies Young”, Blaire has put a significant amount of mileage on her running shoes.

Blaire: Marathon Extraordinaire

Why You Should Consider Running For Fun

by Blaire Banfield

Hello, Blog World! For those who don’t know me, which is more than likely everyone considering I’m not famous in any circles, my name is Blaire Banfield. Ann and I have been friends for long time, so when she asked me to guest blog for her new site, I was ecstatic! Honestly, she’s indulging me in this, as my childhood dream was to write for Saturday Night Live. However, considering that my most prestigious authorship to date is this guest blog (and maybe that Steve Buscemi love letter I sent), that dream hasn’t quite come to fruition.

Between Math, Books, or Hobbies, I have chosen to write about hobbies. In all honesty, I never completely learned my times tables and I haven’t read a book that wasn’t required for admission to medical school in at least 4 years, so I didn’t feel qualified for the other topics. I have a few hobbies I enjoy, but today I’d like to talk about my love for Marathoning.

Based on appearances alone, I’m not sure you would know I enjoyed running as much as I do. You’d probably think, “That girl? The one on her 5th helping of unlimited bread sticks at Olive Garden? She runs for extended periods of time?”. The answer, you judgmental jerk, is yes.

I find running exhilarating. It may seem like a difficult activity to find enjoyable to someone who has never done it; trust me, I used to think the same way. Why would running until you feel like you can’t anymore for a little piece of metal around your neck be fun?

When I was in my last year of undergrad, I took a look at my life and thought, “I can’t remember the last time I felt truly challenged!”. College is hard of course, but always doable. I couldn’t remember the last time I encountered a challenge that really made me work just to finish it. It was then I signed up for my first half-marathon.

I cannot describe the feeling you get when you see the finish line in front of you after running 13 miles; They should bottle this feeling (In fact, that may be my next endeavor since this writing for SNL thing is clearly not working out). Once you open that bottle you would feel the warm glow of completing something you never thought you’d be capable of. You would feel the thumping in your eardrums as you hear people clapping who all came to see you. You wouldn’t feel a single muscle aching because none of it matters when you see that end and feel your accomplishment. I give one warning: this feeling is INCREDIBLY addicting.

After the first half-marathon, I immediately signed up for a full marathon, another half-marathon, and a “Challenge” where I ran a half on a Saturday and a full on Sunday. Like I said, this feeling makes you do crazy things. But regardless of my obsession, I do 100% suggest to everyone I meet to do something like run a marathon, something that you never thought you could do. The older we get, the more set in our ways we become. We stick to what we know, rarely stray, yet we’re surprised when we’re bored with life.

So if this brief foray into the insanity of my mind has made you consider an attempt at marathoning, and you have any questions, feel free to use the “Contact Me” tab with any questions. I’d be glad to taint your mind with training ideas, good marathons to run, and other such frivolity.

And if this didn’t tickle your hobby fancy, maybe I’ll re-guest blog another time and give an insight on my other favorite pastime, Rhythmic Thimble Stacking. (Yes, that is some next level stuff).